The One That Could Have Been
by See Jane Write
Summary: Instead of playing Dungeons and Dragons and whatnot before the fight against The First, the core Scoobies wonder what their lives would have been like if one aspect of each of their lives was changed...Chapter Eight up.
1. Prologue

The One That Could Have Been

Disclaimer: Any bit of _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ did not come from me, but from Joss Whedon. The title and very, very, basic idea of this came from the sixth season _Friends_ episode with the same name.

Prologue

"Big battle tomorrow, huh?" Xander asked as he joined Willow, Buffy, and Giles out on Buffy's back porch, The other three Scoobies had already seated themselves and all found that they could not sleep on a night like that. Almost no one could, with the exception of Anya who was out cold.

Buffy nodded slightly. "Yep...You all know I love you all, right?" she asked.

"Oh god, we're all going to die," Xander announced as he took a seat on the floor between Willow and Buffy, completing the circle.

"Not necessarily," Willow said in Buffy's defense. "I think it is a good plan...Just wish I wasn't the big gun. Buffy, you know I hate pressure like this."

Buffy reached across the circle and placed a comforting hand on Willow's arm. "Will, I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't know you could do it. And if you don't want to be here, you can go with Kennedy."

Willow shook her head. "She's off Dungeons and Dragon-ing with Andrew, Amanda, and some other Potentials whose names I honestly can't remember. Besides, if this is my last night on Earth, I'd much rather spend it with my three best friends."

"I feel so loved," Giles said with a slight smile.

"Hmm, you ever wonder what things would have been like if I had actually gone through with my wedding to Anya?" Xander asked, breaking off the momentary silence within the group.

"Ooh, what if I had never gotten addicted to the magicks?" Willow added with a smile.

"And if I had never been fired from the Council?" Giles put in.

"What about you, Buff?" Xander asked as he turned to his left and looked at the Slayer. "What do you ever wonder your life would be like if one thing were different?" he asked, then immediately wondering if the statement made any sense.

Buffy stopped, pondering the question for a moment. "Well, it often occurred would I still be with Spike if I hadn't sacrificed myself?"

The four of them fell silent once again as they tried to picture the world they had just described.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns everything.

Sunnydale, California

February 2012

Buffy Summers sighed heavily as she stared across the room at the blank television screen. Sure, she, Tara, and Willow had been put in charge of hosting the next Scooby gathering, last week it had been Giles and the previous week Anya and Xander. But none of it mattered to her. She could not remember the time she honestly cared about something ever since her younger sister had sacrificed herself to save the world. Sure, some things she knew were important and she came very close to caring. Instances such as Anya and Xander's wedding and later, the births of their children, Matthew and roughly one and a half years later Morgan.

"Buffy?" Tara asked as she appeared in the doorway to the room where Buffy lay slouched on the couch. "They're going to be here soon. Do you maybe want to get out of your pajamas?" she finished as she looked down at the ensemble the Slayer was wearing, fluffy pink pants with cows on them and a matching pink shirt.

Buffy sighed again as she finally stood up and walked over towards the stairs. "Why does it matter? It's only a Scooby meeting?"

"After which we're most likely going patrolling," Tara added as she gave Buffy a gentle push up the stairs. "Don't think Giles will appreciate the cows."

"Fine," Buffy grumbled as she began walking up the stairs and over towards her room, a journey she could have cared less about if it had not been that she was doing it for Giles. Apart from Giles, Willow, and Xander, Buffy did not think there was anything worthwhile to live for. Sure, she was the Slayer, but if she were to die the next one would be chosen.

Three short knocks came to her door and Buffy turned herself around as if to go down the stairs and answer it. "No," Tara began as she made a motion at Buffy with her finger, motioning for the Slayer to turn around and go to her room to change. As soon as she heard Buffy's door closing, Tara opened the door and quickly moved aside as to allow the hyper and excited Matthew Harris to run inside.

"Hi Aunt Buffy! Hi Aunt Willow! Hi Aunt Tara!" the eight-year-old yelled without looking up as he ran into the family room and began flipping the channels.

Willow smiled, walking over towards the door. "What's the excitement?" she asked with a small laugh as she watched the brunette boy sit down on the floor in front of the television, catching his breath.

"You guys get cable," Xander said with a smile as he opened the door further, allowing Anya to walk in along with their six-year-old daughter Morgan held in her arms at the side of her body.

"Oh, of course," Willow began as she closed the door behind Anya. Giles had called saying he would be a little bit late as he was getting held up in traffic from the Watcher's meeting in Los Angeles. "And how are you doing sweetie?" she asked the little girl in Anya's arms.

Morgan said nothing, only rested her head against Anya's shoulder and clung to her mother tighter.

"How is she doing?" Willow asked Xander as they all began moving into the family room with Matthew. Willow, Tara, and Xander sat on the couch while Anya and Morgan sat on the chair. The little girl reached for the blanket while Matthew jumped up as the commercials began playing.

"Ok, I have to go bathroom, but don't change the channel please!" he begged as he rushed out over to the hallway bathroom.

"We won't," Xander promised his son as he turned his attention back to Willow and Tara on his left. He sighed, glancing over at Anya and Morgan for a second before answering Willow's question. "Not so well. Her throat's so sore and swollen that Anya and I have given up on trying to get her to eat anything."

Willow winced sympathetically. "Have you been to a doctor?" she asked finally as Matthew reentered the room, wiping his damp hands off on his dark denim jeans.

Xander shook his head slightly. "We got her an appointment for tomorrow. Which kind of brings me to my next thing" he began, the look that he was about to ask for a favor appearing in his face.

"What do you want?" Willow and Tara both asked with a laugh. Over the years they had grown used to that look.

"How can you do that?" Xander asked in amazement.

"Do what?" Buffy asked as she emerged from the bottom of the stairs, dressed in a more appropriate red sweatshirt and light blue jeans.

"Hey Buff," Xander greeted as he moved over slightly on the couch, making room for the petite Slayer. "I need a favor," he continued as everyone paid attention to him, with the exception of his children as Matthew undivided attention was on the television cartoons while Morgan was struggling to keep her eyes open.

"Sure, what is it?" Buffy asked. "As long as it's not money I can probably do it for you?"

"Unemployed again?" Anya asked sympathetically.

Buffy nodded, feeling slightly embarrassed. It was not as if she had a truly good job to not be working at. Over the years all she had been able to do was minimum wage jobs, her longest being the DoubleMeat Palace for six years before the smell she had when she came home finally became to much for her and she quit. "Your favor?" she asked, returning her attention, and hopefully the attention of everyone else, back to Xander.

Xander nodded. "Right," he said. "We made a doctor appointment for Morgan tomorrow, but I have to be at the site all day--"

"And I really don't want to take both the children up there if I don't have to," Anya added as she shifted slightly to a more comfortable position on the chair.

"So we were wondering if we could dump Matthew off here for an hour or so tomorrow at around nine?" Xander finished.

Buffy nodded. "Oh, sure," she instantly agreed. "Not a problem, right?" she asked as she turned towards Willow and Tara.

"Yea, we can watch him," Willow agreed with a smile. "Actually, I have work so it doesn't matter to me."

"Perfect," Xander said with a smile as he turned towards Matthew. "Matt?" he called as he pulled his son's attention away from the Doritos commercial.

"Yea?" Matthew asked as he turned around slightly.

"Do you want to go to Aunt Buffy's tomorrow morning?" Xander asked curiously.

"Yes!" Matthew instantly agreed with a smile. "Perfect day for that. There's supposed to be an all day cartoon marathon with all my favorite cartoons!"

The door opened in a rush, snapping everyone's attention at it. "Sorry so late," Giles said as he closed the door behind him. "They should make sure people can drive before issuing them a license," he mumbled a moment later. "Did I miss anything?" he asked as he walked into the room.

"Nothing demon-y related," Xander replied as he moved over and pulled the chair from the desk up next to where Anya was sitting.

"Oh, but I'm going to be in late tomorrow," Anya informed her boss as Giles moved over and sat down in Xander's vacated couch spot. "Morgan's throat is still bothering her so we're getting her to a doctor early tomorrow morning," she elaborated to eliminate any other thoughts from the Watcher's head.

Giles nodded. "That's fine. Take as long as you need."

"So, is there anything demon-y worth noting?" Buffy asked curiously as she looked over at her Watcher. Although her voice hinted that she might be interested in whatever the Watcher might say, her facial expression did not as the Slayer mostly looked bored.

The Watcher shook his head. "Nothing that would be of interest to you."

"So that whole big Los Angeles meeting was for nothing?" Xander asked curiously.

Again, Giles shook his head back and forth. "Not for nothing," he began. "But nothing to do with big bad demons and vampires coming to the Hellmouth. It mostly focused on the more magickal part of fighting the forces of evil."

"Magick?" Willow perked up as she sat herself up a little bit straighter against the couch. "Anything interesting?"

Giles smiled as he pulled a few sheets of paper out from his coat and handed them to Willow. "I took notes on the things you might find note-worthy."

Willow smiled as she eagerly took the sheets into her hands. "You're the best," she told Giles with a squeal of excitement as she reached across and hugged Giles.

"Thank you," the Watcher began as he wigged free from Willow's embrace. He sighed wondering what she would be doing to him if he had actually brought home the book the Watcher running the meeting was using. He sighed, shrugging it off. "How was business today?" he asked as he looked over to Anya.

The ex-demon frowned as she tried to remember. Even before she had closed the shop, her attention was mainly on Morgan and not the customers, something surprisingly rare for the capitalist inside of her. "We made money," she began dimly. "Not one of our best days, but certainly not the worst."

Giles nodded. "And things went smoothly while I was gone?"

"Yes. Tara was helping me," the ex-demon recalled.

"We do need to stock up on some of the herbs. There's a list back at the store," Tara added for Giles's benefit.

"Thank you Tara," Giles commented.

Willow jumped up, hearing the oven timer go off. "Well, I guess it's time we eat," she began as she calmly walked over to the kitchen to begin preparing drinks and whatnot.

Tara smiled as she followed Willow into the kitchen, walking over and grabbing the utensils before walking out to set the table.

"What does everyone want to drink?" Buffy asked curiously as she looked at the five people remaining in the family room.

"Just a coke," Xander said absently as he hit the 'power' button on the remote for the television, getting his son's attention.

"Hey!" Matthew protested as he turned around.

"Dinner," Anya informed Matthew. "What would you like to drink?"

"That you can have at dinner," Xander instantly added.

Matthew frowned, thinking the concept over for a moment before making a decision. "Chocolate milk," he announced. "That way I can be strong just like you Aunt Buffy."

"Alright," Xander said with a smile. Now go wash your hands," he continued as he gave Matthew a light push towards the bathroom.

Matthew gave a slight sigh, but did as he was told.

"Giles, Anya?" Buffy asked as she resumed collecting drink preferences.

"Just some water's fine," Anya said as she glanced down at Morgan, checking to see whether or not her daughter was asleep, which she was.

"Buffy, do you even have to ask?" Giles asked with a slight laugh. "Whatever tea you have lying around should do just fine," he added as he walked out to assist Tara in setting the table.

"Um, Buffy?" Anya asked as she arose from the chair, Morgan still held within her arms.

"Hmm?" Buffy asked as she turned around to face Anya.

"She's feeling a little warm and since she wouldn't eat anyway, would you mind if I let her rest in the guest room until we go home?" Anya asked.

Buffy shook her head. "Not a problem," she assured Anya. "Actually, why don't I take her while you and Xander pick out what Matthew might want to eat," she suggested as she reached for the six-year-old.

Anya gave a short sigh as she reluctantly handed her daughter over to Buffy. "You'll be careful with her, right?" she asked warily.

"As if she were my own," Buffy promised as she made sure she had a good hold on the girl before heading up the stairs.

Anya sighed as she watched the two of them until Buffy reached the top of the stairs. She then took that as her cue to go over to the boys in her life, Xander and Matthew. "What are we serving?" she asked as she grabbed a plate from the counter for her son.

"Icky green stuff," Matthew answered in disgust as he looked at the various plates and dishes of food in front of him at the table. "And also chicken, which I like."

"Come on now, if you want to be strong, you're going to have to eat a little bit of the green stuff," Xander began as he placed a few string beans on Matthew's plate.

"How many?" the little boy demanded.

"Five," Xander answered plainly as he placed the smallest piece of chicken on Matthew's plate.

Matthew frowned. "That's not fair. Morgan doesn't have to eat any!" he pouted.

"Your sister doesn't feel well enough to eat anything right now," Xander pointed out with a heavy sigh. "Fine, you only have to eat four, but you have to eat all your chicken."

Matthew sighed. "FineÉAs long as I get dessert!" He smiled, looking over at Willow and Tara. "There is dessert, right?" he asked.

Willow nodded slightly. "Chocolate chip cookies," she announced proudly as she took her usual seat between Tara and Buffy and began serving herself some dinner.

"Yay," Matthew perked up as he sat down in between his parents.

Buffy appeared in the doorway from the kitchen as she began bringing out the drinks. First Matthew's, Xander's, and Anya's. "Sorry if it's a little warm," she began. "Thought we had ice, but nope."

"It's fine," Xander assured his friend.

"Good," Buffy said as she came out with Giles's tea. After handing the cup to her Watcher she took her seat at the end of the table across from Giles. Willow was on her left and Xander on her right. 'It's all good," she said softly as she picked up her fork and began slowly working her way through the small pile of mashed potatoes she had built up on her plate.

"So there's really no big danger coming?" Willow asked curiously to break of the long moment of silence that had fallen over the table. "'Cause we normally would know about it by this time of the year. I mean, it's the middle of February."

Giles shook his head. "The Council has gotten extremely technological in the past few years, almost to a point where Jenny would feel old fashioned, but they could not detect anything. Just the same number of vampires we have here," he stated.

"Wow," Xander began at the mention of how advanced the Council was in their technology. "How do you manage to be in that building?" he asked in shock. "If they're as sophisticated as you say they are, then it must be a living hell for you."

Giles rolled his eyes at Xander's remark. "Very funny," he said sarcastically. "The real advances are over in England."

"But as far as they can tell we're not in any more danger than a normal Sunnydale day?" Buffy asked. "As in no apocalypse?"

Giles nodded. "That is correct."

"There's going to be an apocalypse," Buffy immediately countered.

Matthew's expression wrinkled into a frown as he tugged on the sleeve of Xander's blue t-shirt. "What's an apocalypse?" he whispered into his father's ear.

"Something you don't need to worry about," Xander answered shortly. "What you should worry about is finishing your potatoes."

"Ok," Matthew grumbled as he returned to eating his dinner and being quiet, something he generally does at these gatherings. Unless he was watching television or fighting with Morgan.

"Buffy, the Council isn't wrong about everything," Giles began. "They were right about Glory being a god."

Buffy rolled her eyes and folded her arms angrily across her chest. "Right, but they couldn't think of any way to stop her. It's their fault my sister is dead."

"Dawn did what she thought was best for the world," Giles said as he tried to rationalize his point, but found it mostly useless.

"Giles, if you want to be the cheerleader for the Watcher's Council, then by all means do so," Buffy began as she stood up. "I'm just not going to sit around and watch it," she added as she walked over and grabbed her coat.

"Where are you going?" Giles asked as he looked over at Buffy while the Slayer headed towards the door.

"Out," Buffy said as she closed the door behind her.

Giles let out a huge sigh as he turned back around, fighting the urge to start saying a few words that should not be spoken in front of the eight year old.

"Don't worry," Willow began. "She'll come around. She always does."

Anya nodded. "Yea, just let her kill those who aren't even alive. That'll perk her right up."

Giles sighed. "For her sake, I hope you're right."

"Sun sets and she appears," Spike noted as he saw the Slayer once again barging into the dank and dark crypt he called home. "What's up?" he asked,

"You know what's up," Buffy replied gravely as she walked over to him and began tugging at his shirt before getting frustrated with it and tearing it off him.

"Right," Spike began as he picked her up in his arms and kissing her wildly as he made his way towards the bed.

((Tehe...Cyber brownies to anyone who knows where I got the names of the Harris children from...))


	3. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: Buffy, Xander, Willow, Anya, Spike, Giles, Tara, the Council, Sunnydale, and all of Sunnydale's buildings, landmarks, etc. belong to Joss Whedon. Matthew Harris belongs to the girl on my role-playing site who plays him. Morgan Harris belongs to me. My insanity is due to the bunnies.

Chapter Two

The sun had risen the rather large Los Angeles suburb almost two hours ago. A concept that was totally lost on the two people contained in Spike's crypt. Spike, being a vampire, never really cared much about the sun, but he knew Buffy did. As he opened his blue eyes, he noted that the sun had in fact come up and he knew he should share this information with Buffy.

He glanced down at the Slayer where she was peacefully sleeping under his rug. He knew better than to pick up the rug out of respect for her. He knew that she never loved him. He was just what she would do whenever things got rough. Although the scenario was not how he would have liked it to be, he still got to sleep with her on occasion so he could not complain.

"Psst," he whispered as he placed his pale hand on top of her bare left shoulder. "Buffy," he whispered softly as he began shaking her gently to awake her. When she was not responding, he began shaking more violently. "Luv, you have to wake up."

Buffy's arms stretched out in front of her, her left one hitting Spike in the nose. It was at that moment that Buffy realized where she was exactly and what she had promised Xander she would do in only a matter of minutes, she guessed. "What time is it?" she demanded.

Spike shrugged. "How the bloody hell am I supposed to know?" he asked.

Buffy groaned as she stood up and began collecting her clothes, throwing the more important ones on her petite body, such as her shirt and jeans. Having no time to loose, she just shoved her underwear and bar into her pack pocket. Considering that it was Saturday morning, Buffy doubted she would bump into anyone who would truly care about her appearance.

"Before I come back, promise me you'll get a clock," she told Spike as she rushed out of his crypt and over to her house as fast as her two human feet would carry her, hoping that Anya and Xander would be running a little late in dropping Matthew off at her house.

Much to the Slayer's disliking, the opposite was happening. At quarter to nine in the morning, Anya pulled up into Buffy's driveway. She knew for a fact that she was not the best driver under the Sunnydale sun, but she had gotten a valid driver's license after her wedding to Xander.

She quickly jumped out of the car and opened the backdoor, allowing Matthew to emerge from it. "Be right back, sweetie," she told Morgan. "Open the window if you get hot," she said gently before closing the car door and rushing up to the front door at 1630 Revello Drive.

"I rang the doorbell," Matthew announced as he peered into the window.

From behind the doors, Tara gasped noting that Anya had shown up a little early. Quickly, she ran up to the bathroom upstairs and turned the shower water on to give off the impression that Buffy was in there. "Coming," she called as she bounced down the stairs and opened the door.

"Hey Anya," she said as she opened the door, taking the necessary step back to allow Matthew to run in towards the television. "Buffy's in the shower right now, but I can watch Matt watch TV until she gets out."

Anya nodded. "That's fair," she said in a slightly distracted tone of voice. "I am a little early," she added in the same distracted tone. She sighed. "And now I'm off," she added.

Tara nodded as she saw Anya turn around abruptly and walk out to the small red impala parked in the driveway. "Good luck," she called after them, but she doubted the ex-demon could hear her.

"So Matthew," she began as she closed the door behind her. "What would you like to do today?" she asked curiously.

Matthew smiled as he turned his brunette head away from the television. "Watch these cartoons, then eat lunch so I can be strong, and then play a game," he declared proudly without hesitation.

Tara smiled as she grabbed a magazine from the pile near the door and walked into the family room, taking a seat. She then remembered about the running water upstairs and rushed to go turn it off. "Right back," she told Matthew, but she doubted the boy heard her as the cartoons were once again playing.

Buffy quietly snuck in through the backdoor. "Tara," she called in a normal tone of voice. "Tara, I still have time, right?" she asked.

"Aunt Buffy!" Matthew yelled as he ran into the kitchen where the sound of his "aunt's" voice had been heard. "Aunt Tara said you were in the shower."

Buffy smiled slightly. Obviously Anya had dropped him off early or she had gotten his drop-off time wrong. She hoped the first of the two was true. "Um, actually, I went out, um, running," she lied as she began making her way towards the stairs. She glanced into the television room, finding the cartoons on again. "But look, cartoons," she began in hopes to distract the young boy.

Matthew gasped as he ran in. "Ok! I love you, but I wanna watch these!"

Buffy smiled again. "That's fine," she said as she ran into Tara on the steps. The older witch looked down at the Slayer.

"Buffy, you ok? Where were you?" she asked, genuinely sounding concerned. "Should there be reason for us to worry?"

The Slayer shook her head. "No, just a vampire fight," she lied. "He must have knocked me out or something."

"A vampire fight where you lost your underwear?" Tara asked as she gave a curious glance at Buffy's back pocket. "Buffy, what's going on? Giles, Willow, Xander, and I were all worried when you didn't come home last night."

"Look, I'm really fine" she lied as she continued up the stairs. "I just really need to shower," she added.

Tara gave a slightly hurt expression since Buffy did not see her good enough to know the truth. She shrugged it off, knowing that there was a lot going on in the blond's mind. She decided just to be there and if Buffy would want to tell her the truth, she would. If not, then that was fine as well.

A little after eleven that morning, Willow and Giles both returned to the Summers household, Willow home for the rest of the day while Giles would only be there on his lunch break. "Buffy home yet?" the Watcher asked with concern.

Tara nodded as she continued preparing lunch for Matthew. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich, without the crust for some reason. She would not question the boy's taste but she would obey to how he preferred things. She smiled, placing a small almond chocolate bar next to the sandwich, a treat for the young boy. "Matt, what do you want to drink?" she called out into the other room. "That your parents would let you have with lunch," she added immediately after."

"Chocolate milk!" came the energetic reply from the boy.

Tara smiled as she continued making his lunch. "Yea, Buffy's home," she said as she returned her mental focus on Willow and Giles. "She's in the shower still though. Someone might want to check on her. She's been in there for nearly two hours."

Willow nodded. "I'll see what the hold-up is," she announced as she rushed over towards the stairs.

Giles turned over towards Tara and began helping her set a place at the kitchen counter for Matthew to eat. Mainly just so he would have something to do. Very rarely did he like just sitting somewhere doing nothing but talking. "Did Buffy say what was keeping her?" he asked.

Tara sighed heavily. "She said it was a vampire fight and he must have knocked her out, but I don't believe her. She's keeping something from us."

"Who's what-ing from who?" Buffy asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"Have a nice shower?" Giles asked curiously as he placed an apple in front of the boy's lunch. Just in case he should for some reason crave something healthy over the less healthy almond chocolate bar.

"Oh, what, yes," Buffy said as she sat down on one of the other stools at the counter. "Sorry, just lost track of time," she lied. She did not want to admit the real reason for taking so long, which would be to wash any remains of Spike off of her body.

"Obviously," Willow mumbled in shock. "Buff, you alright? Do you need a job?" she asked.

"What? No. Well, yes, but I'm fine, really," she assured the Scoobies gathered around in the kitchen. "Honest," she added. "I'm just a little tired," she added as she walked out of the kitchen.

"Buffy," Willow and Giles begged as they instantly followed the Slayer.

"Come on Buff," Willow began as she placed a gentle hand on Buffy's right shoulder, causing the Slayer to stop her journey up the flight of stairs leading towards her room. "We're not going to judge you, we just want to know what's going on with you."

"I'm just tired from this vampire thing," Buffy said once again. "I promise. I just need a quick nap. A cranky Slayer's a careless Slayer," she reminded her friend and Watcher once again.

Tara walked out into the hallway, not wanting to get in Buffy's way. She gave a sigh and glanced over in the other room at Matthew. "Matt?" she called out. "Matt, do you want some lunch now?" she asked curiously.

The young boy nodded. "Absolutely!" he declared as he flipped the television off and began running towards the kitchen, taking the seat at the counter which had food placed in front of it. "Yay! Peanut butter and jelly!" His smile widened even more as he noticed the chocolate bar. "Wow, we never have these at home!" He frowned slightly as he glanced up at Tara. "Are you sure I'm allowed to eat it?" he asked in the most innocent voice an eight-year-old could possibly manage.

Tara nodded. "You can have it. The only reason you can't have it at your house is because the nuts in it make your sister sick," she explained. "So never, ever give her one of these, even if you're really mad at each other. Do you promise?"

Matthew nodded. "Promise," he declared.

"Then go ahead and eat."

Matthew smiled widely up at Tara. "Thank you," he said through a mouthful of peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He swallowed hard. "You're the bestest aunt ever."

Anya drive as fast as the five-year-old car would allow her to go without being pulled over by the police for speeding to Xander's construction site. Although she was proud of her husband for being the head of the new building, next best thing to owning the company in her opinion, she hated how much time it took from him. Time that would not allow him to be at the apartment.

She groaned, finding almost no parking spaces available that were close towards the site. She groaned as she knew she could get a ticket for double-parking. She shrugged it off as she climbed out of the car and quickly ran to the other side and picked up her tired daughter from her booster seat, holding her tightly in her arms before venturing across the site in search of Xander.

"Anya Harris," came the greeting from Xander's construction friend and second in command Tony. "Not caring about breaking the law I see," he added as he began walking next to her.

"I need to talk to Xander," Anya said firmly as she came towards the desk with the blueprints of the building laid out on top of it. She stopped, putting Morgan down for a second and kneeling down next to her. "I'm just going to talk to Daddy for a little bit. You stay here with Daddy's friend, Mr. Walker," she said gently as she handed Morgan another throat drop.

"Wilson," Tony corrected.

"What?" Anya asked in confusion as she began walking across the site once again.

"My name's Tony Wilson, not Walker."

Anya groaned slightly in spite of herself. She knew she had made a promise to Xander to try and be more polite around his friends, whether they were from work or were really close to him like Willow and Buffy. "I'm sure it is," she said hastily as she continued walking. "But I have to talk to my husband right now."

"What's the rush?" Tony asked. "He can't exactly take off to have sex with you right now."

Anya rolled her eyes. "You pervert. That's not what I'm here for. I have Morgan, who you are supposed to be watching."

"I'm no one's babysitter," Tony argued. "Besides Vince is over there looking after her," he continued with a glance back over at the table were Anya had left Morgan. "And what again is the big rush?"

Anya rolled her eyes. "The big rush is that I'm due back across town at her doctor's in," Anya glanced down at her watch, "in eight minutes but before I can go there I have to talk to Xander." Anya's voice was escalating in annoyance as she picked her pace up a little so she could get over towards Xander. "To talk about what we're going to do with her," Anya added in annoyance before rushing over into the concerned arms of her husband.

"Ahn, what is it?" Xander asked as he removed his hat from his head. "What'd they say?" he asked as he placed his hand on her shoulder and used his other hand to pick up her head.

"Tonsillitis," Anya began as she gave a sympathetic glance back at her daughter who was still standing in front of that table playing one of her hand clapping games she had learned at school with Vince.

Xander nodded. "What are our options?"

Anya sighed heavily before answering. "Either we schedule a tonsillectomy where they'll just remove her tonsils, which the doctor said would be a more effective in the long run but would cause her some discomfort for as long as week and half after they do it. It'll prevent it from ever returning, but it'll cost more."

"Second option?" Xander asked.

"We put her on a series of antibiotics which will lessen the pain and make the swelling go down and just hope it'll go away."

"That it?" Xander asked as he weighed the options.

Anya nodded. "Unless we just want to keep seeing her suffer like this. And either way, I'm supposed to let them know before four what we're going to do." She glanced down at her watch once again. "It's quarter of," she added a moment later.

"What'll you think?" Xander asked curiously as the two of them began walking back over to Morgan and Vince.

Anya swallowed hard. "Well, if we could afford it, I'd prefer the surgery since this is her third time coming down with it this winter." She frowned for a moment as she once again thought of the money part of both options. "I could ask Giles for a raise again," she offered.

Xander nodded. "That would probably be best for her." The two of them quickly ran the short remaining distance over towards Morgan and within seconds the six-year-old was back in her mother's comforting arms.

"Thanks for watching her Vince," Xander thanked his co-worker as he looked at the blue print and compared it to how far they had come so far.

Vince shrugged. "Not a problem, Xander. You'd probably do the same if Veronica ever actually came down here with little Vicky," he added, referring to his own daughter close to Morgan's age.

Morgan's eyes lit up at the mention of Victoria Keys. "I wanna play with Vicky," she rasped.

Anya nodded as she patted her daughter's back. "I know. And you will. Soon," she promised.

"After I'm all better?" the little girl asked softly.

Anya nodded once again. "Yea, after you're all better," she said as she glanced over at Xander.

Xander walked over, kissing Morgan lightly on the forehead and Anya on the lips with the same amount of tenderness. "See you two ladies at home," he promised as Anya began heading out to the car before stopping and turning back to face Xander.

"Buffy's!" Anya called after her husband.

Xander turned back and looked over at Anya. "What?"

"Didn't you get Willow's message? She wants us all to meet at their place," Anya informed Xander as she opened the door and placed Morgan back in her booster seat, helping the skinny six-year-old get bucked up for the ride.

"See you there then!" Xander called as he walked back over to the building to supervise.

Buffy walked down the stairs after a long overdue nap in the comforts of her own home. "Tara?" she called out softly as she walked into the kitchen, getting the witch to look up from where she was hand washing the few dishes left over from lunch, a task she had not been able to do yet due to the fact that Matthew wanted everyone who was awake to play a long game of Monopoly with him.

"What is it Buffy?" Tara asked curiously.

"Where's everyone else?" the Slayer asked. "That's not what I need to talk to you about, but I need to know the answer before continuing," she began to explain.

Tara looked at Buffy in confusion. "Giles went back to the Magic Box hours ago and Willow's teaching Matt how to play chess." She moved over towards the other side of the counter, pulling two stools up, one for her and the other for Buffy. "What's up?" she asked a moment later.

"You were right...You were all right. There is something going on, but I don't want anyone to know about it. Especially them. Can you keep it secret?" she asked.

Tara frowned as she began growing nervous. "In our thirteen years of being together, I've never kept anything from Willow," she began. "Except for that one time with the being a demon, but never again...I don't know Buffy."

"Can you at least keep it a secret for a day or two while I figure out what I'm going to do?" Buffy asked curiously.

Tara nodded. "I could do that, I suppose," she began. "What's on your mind?"

Buffy sighed. "Um, it's Spike," she began honestly.

"What about him? You have a crush on him?" Tara asked as she lowered her voice to make sure Willow could not possibly hear anything going on.

Buffy shook her head. "Nothing like that," she assured Tara. "It's just...I don't know if you noticed, but whenever things get tough around here, I would just slip out or run out to be more correct"

Tara nodded. "We all noticed that," she pointed out.

"Well, all of those times I've been going over to Spike'sÉusing him there" Buffy whispered softly. "It's not like I want for it to happen...It just always does 'cause he's convenient...Like Riley used to be...Oh god," she mumbled. "Tara, I'm this horrible person. I've only truly loved one man and I know I can't date him."

Tara continued nodding sympathetically as she began rubbing Buffy's back soothingly. "Shh, Buffy, it's ok...All you need is a boyfriend or something. You'll find one, I promise."

"Of the human variety, preferable," Buffy pointed out.

Tara nodded. "See, that's a start," she said encouragingly. "You can do this. You can be strong."

Buffy nodded slightly, mostly as a way of assuring herself that Tara was speaking the truth. "I can do this," she repeated as she walked over to answer the knocking door. "I can be strong."

Tara smiled before walking into the family room where Willow had given up on teaching Matthew how to play chess and was instead occupying her time by playing checkers against the boy.

Matthew looked up as Buffy closed the door behind her. "Yay!" he yelled as he ran over to his parents, hugging Xander first since his arms were free. "Hi Daddy! Hi Mommy!" he yelled before Xander put a finger above his mouth as to signal for Matthew to be a little more quiet.

"We're all here, no need to yell," Xander said as the four Harrises began walking into the family room.

"Oh," Matthew said. "But guess what! I'm this close to beating Aunt Willow in checkers!" he said as he held his thumb and forefinger of his left hand close together.

"So, what's up Will?" Xander asked. "Anya said something about all of us meeting here."

Willow nodded slightly as she motioned for Buffy, Xander, Anya, and Tara to come in closer.

"What is this?" Anya asked. "I'm getting a little claustrophobic just standing here in this tight circle."

Willow rolled her hazel eyes slightly as she walked over behind the television and grabbed a small bag of party bought hats and things.

"What's this?" Tara asked. "Buffy's birthday was last month"

"True," Willow began. "But Giles' sixtieth is coming up in a weekÉA week during which he'll be gone for some Watcher retreat again. I've decided that we're celebrating," she said as she began handing out hats to everyone. A blue one for her, green for Buffy and Anya, red for Tara, Xander and Morgan, and another blue one for Matthew. "Now everyone hide and when Giles comes in yell surprise," she commanded.

"Which is when?" Xander asked.

"Any minute now," Willow answered as she flipped the lights off. "So be hush!" she added as she took a hiding spot behind the love seat with Tara,

As promised, a few moments later Giles opened the door to the Summers household. "Hello?" he called into the seemingly empty house. "Buffy? Willow?" he called up the stairs as he turned the family room lights on.

"Surprise!"


	4. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: Joss owns the cannons, that girl owns Matthew (sorry, don't know/have forgotten your name), and I own Morgan.

Chapter Three

"Woah!" Giles announced as he was taken aback by the screams and yelling. He honestly had no idea something like this was going on without him knowing of it. "Well, thank you all very much," he began.

"It was Aunt Willow's idea," Matthew perked up from his hiding spot behind the television.

Giles gave a small chuckle. "I'm sure it was," he assured the little boy as he entered the room. "Willow's quite good at planning these sorts of parties."

Willow smiled proudly. "Well, this is a big deal Giles," she said as the Scoobies began moving from their hiding spots towards the main part of the room. "We're not just going to ignore the fact that you're turning sixty. It's only going to happen once."

"Now that's not true," Anya pointed out as she sat back down next to Xander on the couch. "Theoretically, we could put him in some sort of time loop where all he does is turn sixty for the rest of eternity."

"She has a point," Tara began with a chuckle.

"If this is a party, then where's the music?" Matthew asked as he turned to Willow. "Parties need music," he declared.

Willow smiled at the little boy in front of her and took his left hand in her right one. "You want to help me pick out some music?" she asked.

"Absolutely," Matthew declared as he rushed over towards the vast collection of musical CDs near the stereo.

Morgan frowned as she turned back towards Anya and Xander. "Where's my Barbies?" she asked softly. "This party's for old people."

Xander chuckled as he stood up and glanced back at Anya for a second. "In Mommy's car, sweetie," he said as he kissed the girl's forehead. "I'll be right back," he assured her as he made his way to the front door.

"Is anyone thirsty?" Buffy asked curiously to break the silence. "We have ice now so there can be colder drinks than last night," she pointed out.

"I want root beer!" Matthew called as he continued trying to pick out the perfect CD to play. "Can I, Mommy? Please, please, please, please, PLEASE!" he begged.

Anya sighed heavily before turning to Buffy. "Just a small cup," she told her friend before glancing back to the door as Xander entered with a small bag of dolls. "You thirsty sweetie?" she asked as her husband handed Morgan the bag.

"Any beer you have in there should be fine," Xander told Buffy.

"Even beer that doesn't have a color and tastes remarkably a lot like water?" Buffy asked with concern.

"It's fine," Tara said as she walked back over to Buffy. "Willow bought some real beer earlier while you were in the shower," she informed the Slayer. "I'll help you get it," she said as she dragged Buffy into the kitchen.

"Tara, I think I could get it on my own," Buffy said as the two of them entered the kitchen. Buffy walked over to the cabinets and pulled out a few small cups before walking over to the freezer and pulling out one of the ice trays.

"Buffy, we have to talk," Tara began.

"What about?" Buffy asked as she plopped two ice cubes into the first cup in front of her. She then handed the ice over to Tara and walked back to where the bottles of soda were and grabbed the root beer. "Is something wrong?"

Tara shook her head quickly. "No, not exactly," she began. "It's just this whole Spike thing you said"

"Tara, please, do we have to talk about that?" Buffy began with a frown.

"Only one question," Tara assured Buffy.

"Go for it," Buffy said as she began pouring a bit of root beer into the cup with ice.

"Well before I tell Willow about your needing a boyfriend," Tara began softly, "I just want to make sure that you're truly not in love with Spike in any way."

"I'm not!" Buffy assured Spike. "My social circle is limited, especially in the male variety, and he's just convenient," she added for clarity.

Tara nodded. "Alright," she said with a smile. "Then I'll talk to Willow and see if we can get you a guy," she assured Buffy.

"And you'll leave out the Spike thing, right?" Buffy asked curiously. "I mean, you can just tell her that I kinda want to be seeing someone without mentioning a certain bleach blonde vampire, right?" she asked as panic escalated in her voice.

"Won't mention it at all," Tara promised as she headed back into the room with a beer in one hand. After handing it to Xander, she walked over towards Willow. "Hey," she greeted.

"Hey baby," Willow said with a smile as Matthew proudly handed her his choice of CD. "What's up?"

"Well, you kind of know Xander better and I was talking to Buffy and I think I know what might be up with her," Tara began softly as she moved Willow slightly away from Matthew.

"What does that have to do with Xander?" Willow asked in confusion.

"Well, Buffy is thinking that she needs something meaningful in her life. I mean, we're great, but she needs someone special. I have you, Xander has Anya...you get where I'm going with this?"

Willow nodded. "She wants a boyfriend," she said with understanding for her best friend. "I'll talk to Xander," she said with a smile as she made her way over towards her other friend and his wife.

Tara smiled as she walked over towards the hallway where Morgan was occupying herself in the stairs with her small collection of Barbie dolls. The man and woman doll were lying down next to each other under a tissue a few stairs above where the little girl was playing with the other dolls. "What about Barbie and Ken?" Tara asked curiously as she sat down next to Morgan.

"They're doing whatever Mommy and Daddy do at night when the door's locked," Morgan stated plainly.

Tara's green eyes widened in shock at the girl's statement. "What?" she asked as she coughed slightly, still shocked that those words came from a six-year-old's mouth.

"They're having a special kind of dessert," Morgan whispered as if the answer was obvious. "It's only for grown-ups."

Tara nodded slightly as she stood up. "Well, that's really...special," she said. "Good for them," she added as she began walking back into the family room to talk to Giles, leaving Morgan to play with her dolls.

"Sure I could do that thing Will," Xander began. "But are you sure it's what Buffy wants?"

Willow nodded. "She talked to Tara and that's what Tara said she needed right now," Willow assured Xander.

"Alright, I'll find someone good then," Xander promised before redirecting his attention to Anya. "And everything's all set for tomorrow?" he asked curiously.

Anya nodded as she glanced over at Morgan for a moment. "Yea. Tomorrow at two thirty," she informed her husband. "Can you be there?" she asked curiously.

Xander frowned as he shook his head. "Sorry, I have to be at the site," he told her.

"On a Sunday?" Anya asked in shock.

"I'm sorry, honey, but we're behind and I just can't take off. They can't do anything without me and we can't give everyone a day off when we're this far behind. I'm really sorry though," he told her as he wrapped an arm around her body.

"Right," Anya began as she stood up. "I'm going to talk to Giles and Tara for a bit,. Ask for money and a babysitter," she began as she walked over to the Watcher and witch.

"Hey," Tara greeted. She frowned once she saw the helpless expression on Anya's face and instantly asked, "What can we do to help?"

"Giles," Anya began as she looked into her boss's eyes. "I need a raise. Not just because I want one and it doesn't have to be forever, but there could not be a worse time for Morgan to get sick like this," she began. "I mean, we have her on antibiotics right now, but the only way to guarantee that this'll never come back would be to remove her tonsils, and there could really be no worse time. I mean, Xander's crew is behind schedule in everything, including pay checks and we're looking for a house since the kids are getting too old to be living in that room that looks like a closet and--"

"Shh, shh," Giles began as he pulled Anya into a comforting hug and rubbed her back slightly. "You can have all the money you need right now," he assured her. "We all care about you and Xander."

Anya smiled up at Giles as she threw her arms around him joyously. "Thank you so much!" she began. "You won't regret this, I swear!"

"Xander," Buffy began a few hours later as she walked up to her best friend in the whole world besides Willow. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything Buff," he said as he scooted over slightly, giving Buffy some room to sit down, which she took advantage of. "What's on your mind?"

"Well, Willow said you were going to try and set me up with someone from your work and I'm just curious on who you were thinking of," she began. "I mean, not that there's anything wrong with any of them, but I'd rather it be someone who I at least have met. And preferably not that guy who said I couldn't work that one time when I tried to get a job there. And not Richard 'cause I think he thinks I'm really weird."

Xander smiled. "Don't worry, Buff. I've already got someone in mind for you."

"Oh, he can't be like a million feet taller than I am!" Buffy injected.

"He's not," Xander assured her. "It's Danny. I think you met him once or twice. Pretty strong, brown hair."

"Sounds good," Buffy said with a smile as Anya rejoined them. "Hey," she greeted.

"Nice to see the happy Buffy," Xander noted before looking up at Anya. "So what'd they say?"

Anya nodded with a slight smile. "Giles is giving me a raise and Willow promised she'd watch Matt tomorrow. Tara's going to come to the hospital with me to make sure I won't go insane, which you know I will since they're messing with my baby," she said, her voice growing faster with each word.

"I'll be fine," Xander promised as he looked around the room at the growing tired people. "Are we guessing that the party's pretty much over?" he asked.

Buffy nodded as she fought back a yawn. "I would say so," she said as she stood up from the couch. "I'm going upstairs, sleepy," she announced as she walked over towards the stairs, stopping to find the sleeping body and various dolls of Morgan Harris lying around. "Um, Xander?" she began.

"I'll get her," Xander promised as he turned to Anya. "You got Matt?" he asked curiously.

Anya nodded as she walked over towards the love seat and picked up her son and his game boy. "Well, we're off," she called out to Willow in the kitchen. "See you tomorrow around two or so."

"We'll be here," Willow assured the ex-demon as she finished cleaning up the kitchen. "Everyone just get some rest or something."

Tara smiled as she joined Willow in the kitchen. "Need any help here?" she asked.

Willow shrugged. "I'm pretty much done here," she informed Tara. "But you could help take the trash out," she said as she handed Tara one of the small bags of trash from the trashcan.

"Sure," Tara said as she grabbed the bag and began walking outside behind Willow.


	5. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: The cannon Scoobies, places, and mythology all belong to Joss. That is a statement I will make in court and whatnot. Morgan belongs to me and Matthew belongs to the person who plays him on my site and I will also hold to those statements in court.

Chapter Four

"He's all yours," Anya stated with a long sigh as she let Matthew into the Summers household at around quarter to two on that Sunday afternoon. "Just to caution you, he had a lot of root beer and is pretty hyper," she warned the redhead witch standing in the doorway.

Willow smiled slightly. "Don't worry. I handled Xander at this age when he was more hyper than that. I'm sure I'll work out fine. And I have Buffy and quite possibly Giles to help," she pointed out as she stepped aside slightly to let Tara past her and out next to Anya. "We'll be fine here," she added for assurance.

"Good," Anya said in a slightly distracted tone of voice as she headed down the sidewalk and over towards her car. Tara quickly followed behind her and crawled into the passenger seat just seconds before Anya pulled out of the driveway, once again demonstrating her poor driving skills.

"Can we play Cops?" Matthew asked as he looked eagerly up at Buffy and Willow with wide brown eyes. Without waiting for the answer, he ran off towards the kitchen with a wicked laugh. "You two are cops and can't catch me 'cause I'm the bad bank robber!" he yelled happily.

"At least when Xander was this hyper, I was usually that hyper with him," Willow commented as she began tentatively following Matthew into the kitchen.

Buffy let out a huge sigh as she slowly began to follow Willow through the hallway. "It's not like this is the end of the world again," she pointed out.

"Yea, that's generally easier to handle," Willow reminded Buffy as she stood up straight with her back against the doorway to the kitchen. Her eyes darted around the room, hoping to catch sight of the extremely energetic boy she and Buffy were supposed to be looking after.

"But it's also more deadly. I don't think eight-year-olds necessarily are the death of their thirty-one-year old aunts," Buffy added with a slightly arched thin eyebrow.

Willow gasped suddenly as she heard a loud crash from something in the kitchen come tumbling down to the linoleum floor, followed by a small "Oops". The witch rolled her eyes as she turned to Buffy. "You spoke too soon," she pointed out gently as she walked into the kitchen to discover what exactly had been broken.

"That broken glass wouldn't have killed Dawn," Buffy mumbled miserably as she reached for a small broom to sweep the broken glass from the coffee pot up.

"Buffy," Willow began as she cautiously knelt down and took the broom from Buffy's hand. "There was nothing you could have done to prevent Dawn from dying. It was her choice."

"Aunt Willow, Aunt Buffy, you still can't get me!" Matthew yelled from one of the other rooms. Willow honestly could not tell which one it was coming from, but she knew it was far back.

"Oh!" Willow said as her face brightened up, a usual indication that she had some idea on what they should do coming on. "I have an idea!"

Buffy smiled slightly as she handed Willow the dustpan. "Thought you would soon enough," she said with a little bit of happiness in her voice. "What is it?" she asked a moment later as Willow began sweeping the bits of glass into the pan.

"There's this spell I know that can calm him down in an instant!" Willow perked up excitedly. "Like magic! Well, ok, it **is** magick, but still. It'll get our job done and make the rest of the afternoon a breeze."

Buffy gave her best friend a small frown. "I don't think so, Wills," she said honestly. "It's not that I don't appreciate the gesture, but there are other ways, non-magickal ways, to deal with the trivial problems," she explained. "And I'm almost positive Tara would disapprove of this."

Willow nodded. "It was just an idea," she mumbled softly as she put the small remainders of the coffee pot into the trashcan in the kitchen.

"Good afternoon, Xander," Vince greeted his co-worker as Xander walked onto the construction site. He stopped, frowning with a hint of confusion on his face. "What are you doing here on Sunday?"

Xander smiled in greeting as he reached for a hard hat. "Just wanted to run some things by Beverly," he answered simply. "She here?"

Vince nodded. "In the trailer," he informed Xander before going back over towards what was starting to look like a building.

"God I hate this," Anya mumbled miserably with an undertone of panic in her voice from her chair in the hallway just outside the operating room where Morgan was in. "They're in there doing heaven knows what to my little girl and I'm out here filling out all these insurance forms and things. This is just like doctors. Evil and in league with the bunnies."

"Anya," Tara stated the ex-demon's name for over the millionth time that afternoon as she wrapped a comforting hand around Anya's thin shoulders. "They know what they're doing. The doctors are trained professionals and nothing will go wrong," Tara recited, also for over the millionth time.

"You can't know that for sure," Anya pointed out fearfully. "You don't know everything, Tara. I know you're trying to make me feel better, but it's not working! She'd already been in there for half an hour," Anya continued. The fear and panic in her voice was escalating to a point where Tara thought that tears would shortly be following Anya's statements.

"Mrs. Harris," the doctor interrupted as he approached the two women.

Anya looked up at him and swallowed hard, preparing herself for the worst. "What did you do?" she began rambling. "Is she alive in there?" she immediately asked as she rose up from her chair.

The doctor chuckled slightly as he placed a reassuring arm on Anya's shoulder. "Everything's fine, miss," he assured her. "We're just going to take her down to recovery until she wakes up then check to make sure nothing went wrong," he informed the two of them. "Hospital procedure," he quickly added. "Nothing is wrong with your daughter."

A huge smile of relief filled Anya's face as she turned to Tara, hugging the witch tightly in joyous celebration. She then turned to the doctor, hugging him as well. "Thank you," she said seriously. She then pulled away before asking her next question. "When can I take her home?"

The doctor smiled as one of the nurses began taking Morgan over to the recovery area. "I'd estimate you should be home by about eight, nine at the latest," he answered truthfully after taking a quick glance at his watch. "And now, if you'd excuse me, I have other patients to attend to."

Beverly Flores could not help but be apprehensive. The thought that she would be caught doing this had crossed her mind many times. She glanced over at her red shirt and black pants down on the floor before returning her focus to the man she had been successfully making out with and having sex with. "Are you sure we won't get caught?" she asked timidly. "I mean, it's a Sunday and there aren't as many people here as on the other days. And these people might want to talk and what if someone enters? I mean, this is a pretty small trailer," she rambled her worst fears out as she tucked a strand of her red hair behind her ear.

"Hey, relax," Xander assured her as he cupped her cheek tenderly. "The workers can refer to Tony or Vince if they need any help. And my wife is going to be at the hospital all day leading into evening and possibly night, depending on what point of time defines night."

Beverly smiled slightly as she moved in closer to Xander. "That's good," she said seductively before planting a huge kiss on his forehead then moving down to his lips.


	6. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: Joss owns all the cannon characters, places, mythology, and whatever. I own Morgan (of course…No one will steal my little slut…That came out a lot more lesbian than I thought it would…Oh god, someone stop this irrelevant babbling…Karma-mommy, it's contagious!) ANYWAY, like I was saying Joss owns all the cannon stuff, I own Morgan, and that girl owns Matthew.

Author's Note: Yea, I really am sorry this took so long. Personally, I blame the bunnies, but you could blame anything from lazy-ness (the most probable cause), busy-ness (also very likely), Ms. Key (not likely at all, but it's worth a mention…Oh god, I'm doing it again, I need to stop this…)

Chapter Five

"What time did Xander say he was getting back?" Buffy asked exhaustedly as she entered the living room with a box of pizza. It had taken awhile, but she and Willow had miraculously gotten Matthew to sit still for a few minutes with the bribe of pizza for dinner. Matthew had kept to his word and had not caused too much trouble.

"He should be back by now," Willow answered softly as she handed Matthew a blue paper plate with two slices of pepperoni pizza on it.

"And Anya?" Buffy asked as she reached for a slice of the cheesy, greasy good-ness. She sat down on the stool next to Matthew and began eating.

"She called when you were out getting pizza. If what she said was true, they should be home within the next twenty minutes," Willow answered as she handed Matthew a glass of chocolate milk. She then reached for a slice of pizza for herself.

"Is my sister ok?" Matthew asked, looking across the counter at Willow.

Willow nodded at the young boy, finding it adorable how he cared for Morgan. That is if he was actually expressing his concern. He could just be wondering how long he had to be nice to her. She had sent the two Harris children together and it almost always ended with some fighting unless one of them was sick. "She'll be fine. Back to her normal self in a few days."

"Should I be sharing my gameboy with her until then?" Matthew asked. "She always looses hers. It's kind of annoying."

"I think she'd like that," Buffy said with a smile. She sighed, wishing she still had Dawn around. The two of them would probably be sharing clothes, purses, credit cards, whatever was necessary. She sighed. "Excuse me," she whispered softly as she got up and started walking towards the bathroom.

"What's up with her?" Matthew asked curiously before taking another large bite of pizza.

"She just misses Dawn probably," Willow answered. "Your aunt Dawn. She died before you were born," she added for Matthew's benefit.

"Oh," Matthew said in realization. "Should I share my gameboy with Aunt Buffy?"

Willow shook her head. "That's sweet, but I think Buffy just needs to be alone right now," she said. "But eat up. Your parents should be home any minute to take you home."

"Ok," Matthew said as he took another bite. "Hey Aunt Willow?"

"Yes?" Willow asked.

"I bet I could eat all my pizza before you!" he challenged.

Willow smiled. Matthew reminded her so much of Xander. She chuckled slightly as she accepted the challenge. "You're on!" she declared before taking many bites of pizza.

Matthew smiled as he began doing the same. "Beat you!" he declared a few moments later as he finished off his slices of pizza. "You loose! Now you have to declare me the Pizza King."

Willow chuckled again. "Ok," she began. "Here ye, here ye. On this glorious day of February 19, 2012, I Willow Rosenberg hereby declare Matthew Robert Harris to be Pizza King. All of you are gathered and witness this event. Thank you," she said as she sat down on a stool.

Anya, Tara and Xander began clapping from behind Willow.

"My goddess," Willow exclaimed, started from the noise. "I didn't know you were home. When did that happen?"

"About the same time you started the speech," Xander answered casually. "We would have announced it, but this seemed too important." He smiled, walking over and taking a slice of pizza from the open box. "Hey kiddo," he greeted Matthew. "Almost ready to go?"

Matthew nodded as he finished his milk. "Ok! Bye Aunt Willow, bye Aunt Tara. Say bye to Aunt Buffy for me!" he called as he followed Anya towards the door.

"Will do," Willow promised as she waved to her nephew. "Bye Xander," she said as Xander followed the two of them out. "Hey, you," she said to Tara with a smile. "Want to have some fun of our own?"

A smile crept onto Tara's face as she and Willow began walking towards their room.

* * *

"Alright. Time for two of you to get ready for bed," Xander announced as he opened the door to their apartment. He put Morgan down and watched as his two children raced towards their small closest-looking room.

"I call bedroom!" Matthew yelled as he approached the room.

Xander smiled as he turned to Anya. "Everything went ok?" he asked as he wrapped an arm around her and walked over towards the couch.

Anya nodded. "They took way too long and worried me sick, but she's fine. What about your meeting?"

Xander let out a small grumble. "It, um, went pretty bad. They need me tomorrow night to make things final."

"Again?" Anya asked in annoyance.

Xander nodded sadly. "This woman's really riding me. She doesn't realize I have a life." He sighed heavily before kissing Anya's forehead lightly. "Crap, I left something in the car. I'll be right back," he promised.

Anya nodded as she walked over towards the answering machine. Two messages, she noted as she pushed the play button. The first was from Giles, just checking in to see how things went. Anya smiled, knowing how lucky she was to have a boss who cared that much. The second message made her heart sink and filled her with anger though.

_"Hey Xander. It's Beverly. I can't meet you tomorrow until six thirty; I hope that's fine with you. I'm looking forward to it. See you tomorrow at six thirty at that new Japanese place. I hear it's to die for. Any questions--you know where to reach me." _


	7. Chapter Six

Disclaimer: As if I hadn't beaten it into your heads enough, Joss owns all the cannon stuff. The only thing that's mine is Morgan.

Chapter Six

Sunnydale, California

Spring 2003

"Anya, I've got to make this clear. You're the woman I love with all my heart. It's because of you that I am the man I am today. I know the chances of living aren't that great in Sunnydale, but if I can't be with you, then I might as well go to the cemetery in the middle of the night and stay there. Anya, I love you with all my body and soul. You make life worth living. Inside you, there's a small part of me. I need that for the rest of my life," Xander said as he gazed lovingly into Anya's brown eyes. "I love you," he added again as he slipped the ring over Anya's finger.

"And no, by the power vested in me, it brings me great pleasure to introduce to all of you for the first time-for real this time- Mr. and Mrs. Alexander LeValle Harris," the minister announced proudly. The wedding hall was the same as their previous one, same guests, same minister even. The only major difference was that this time Anya and Xander were really married. "You may kiss the bride," he added.

Xander smiled as he pulled Anya into his grip and kissed her passionately, dipping her down slightly. The two of them kept kissing for the next two minutes while the various wedding guests starting applauding wildly and taking photos. "I love you, sweetie," Xander whispered as he pulled away from Anya. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and smiled proudly as the two of them began walking down the aisle together, their first steps as husband and wife.

* * *

Sunnydale, California

February 2012

"Apparently not enough," Anya mumbled to herself angrily. Anger and fury filled her entire body. After all she and Xander had been through, it must not have been good enough for the carpenter. Various thoughts raced through her mind. _Was it something I did? Why?_ She dabbed at the forming tears in her eyes with a tissue she had pulled from beside the answering machine. _Who is this "Beverly woman"? What does she have that I don't?_

She sighed as she looked down at herself. She did not think she was unappealing. Sure she was not going to be featured in the next issue of _Playboy_ for her radiant hotness, but still. She groaned in anger, flopping down onto the couch before dabbing at her eyes again.

Morgan and Matthew emerged from the bathroom after brushing their teeth. Matthew was dressed in a blue sweat suit and Morgan had on some cartoon character nightgown. Anya honestly could not remember which. She looked over at the two of them, standing there looking so innocent. They had no idea how cruel the world out there could be.

"Why are you sad, Mommy?" Matthew asked as he walked over to Anya. He noted the tears in his mother's eyes and wanted to do the best he could to help her. "Morgan's gonna be ok. See, she's right there?" he pointed out as he pointed at Morgan.

By that point, the young girl had crawled up into Anya's lap. "Don't be sad," she rasped as she kissed Anya's cheek lightly.

Anya tried to gather the courage to convince her children she was fine. They did not need to know what a harsh man their father was. She put on a phony smile. "I'm fine," she lied. "These are happy tears. Happy that we're all together."

Matthew shrugged and looked over at Morgan. His sister gave him a look filled with the same amount of confusion. The two of them kissed Anya goodnight then walked over to their room. "Grown-ups are weird," Matthew whispered once they were out of hearing range.

Morgan nodded as she crawled towards the top bunk of their bed. "Night," she whispered as she lay down.

"You too," Matthew replied as he pulled the blankets over his body.

* * *

Xander opened the door to their apartment casually, totally unawake of the event happening only minutes ago. In one hand, he had the keys to the car and apartment. In the other, he had a black briefcase. "Sorry about that," he apologized.

"You're apologizing to me?" Anya asked, almost sarcastically. "Oh, than I suppose that makes it all better then!" she yelled.

Xander was taken aback by her rage. He knew she hated when he would leave the house at night, but this was a bit extreme. "Ahn, I was only gone for five minutes maximum."

"What about the hours you were gone this afternoon into evening?" Anya accused as she crossed her arms across her chest. "I really needed you!"

"Ahn, honey, I told you I had to be at the site," Xander tried.

"Right," Anya shot out sarcastically. "'Cause what's more important: your daughter's health or cheating on your wife?" she yelled.

Xander's mouth dropped open in shock. His face flushed with embarrassment. Just the expression on his face was enough to make Anya's heart break even more.

"So it's true?" she asked, her voice softer and with more pain in it.

"H-how did you know?" Xander asked, avoiding the question.

"Give me a little credit!" Anya screamed at him. "The woman who left you a message didn't sound like she wanted to meet you for work-related things. Dinner at the fanciest Japanese place in town? Surely the story of how she went backpacking in Western Europe is work related! Surely you would just have to go to her place and hear all about it afterwards!"

"Backpacking in western Europe?" Xander questioned.

Anya nodded. "The magical sex story? I'm sure you've told her that many times! What's the matter, Xander? I'm not good enough for you anymore? Is it because my boobs are too small or something? What is it, Xander? Surely there has to be some reason you would lower yourself to sleep with this woman?" Anya was livid and it was becoming more obvious with everything Xander said and did not say. She stood up and turned away from him. "I can't even look at you!"

"I can't sleep," Morgan rasped as she crawled back down the ladder. She sat down in front of Matthew's bunk, noting that her brother was also awake.

* * *

"What do you think they're fighting about?" Matthew asked as he sat up on his bed, carefully though as to not hit his head.

Morgan shrugged.

"Wanna thumb wrestle?" Matthew asked as he extended his right fist towards his younger sister. Morgan thought it over for a moment than began thumb wrestling against Matthew.

* * *

"Ahn, this has nothing to do with you," Xander began as he approached her. He placed one hand on her shoulder.

Anya responded by moving further away. "There has to be something," she argued. "I gave you two children, Xander Harris, and then the second you get an opportunity to, you leave me for the next slut that crosses your path. For god's sake, why don't you just run over to LA and sleep with Cordelia? And what about Willow? Why not try and rekindle things with her? Or all the demon women in this crappy town? I'm sure there are numbers of them who need a good lay!"

"Anya, this has nothing to do with you. It's all my fault. I was weak, I couldn't help myself," Xander tried to explain. "She means nothing to me."

"Different she and you've made that pretty clear," Anya said as she reached for her coat and car keys. She walked over to the closet and grabbed Morgan and Matthew's coats as well.

"What, where are you going?" Xander asked.

Anya stormed over to her children's room. She knocked twice then walked in. She noted that the two of them were still awake. "Come on, we're going on a vacation," she told them. "Get your coats on," she told them.

Morgan and Matthew exchanged perplexed looks, but they did as they were told for fear that if they did not, Anya would get mad at them.

"Ahn, what are you doing?" Xander asked.

"I'm taking what's mine and we're out of here," Anya shot at him as she goaded her children towards the door. "You have some thinking you need to get done," she added before slamming the door behind her.


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Willow gazed lovingly into Tara's deep, rich brown eyes. This was the woman she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. The rest of the world could go to hell for all she cared at the moment. She was with Tara. Nothing else mattered.

Her bliss was interrupted by a sudden knocking on the downstairs door. It kept persisting and only got louder with each knock. Willow's face wrinkled into a frown as she glanced at the alarm clock on the table next to Tara. "Who could be knocking at this hour?" she complained as she rolled out of the bed. Clearly Buffy was showing no interest in answering the door.

Tara shrugged at Willow as she reached for a bathrobe. "It could be an emergency," she pointed out gently.

"Better be," Willow muttered as she put a bathrobe over her nude body. "If the world's not ending, I'm pissed," she added as she crossed the carpeted floor over to the door. Her pale hands grasped the cold, metal doorknob, and she slowly twisted it open.

"I'm coming," Willow called crossly down the stairs. She looked back at Tara. "You think we should wake Buffy?" she asked.

"You don't think she's already awake?" Tara asked curiously.

Willow nodded, considering the point, as she walked down the stairs in a somewhat rushed manner. She quickly adjusted her hair to make it somewhat decent before opening the door. "Xander?" she asked in slight annoyance. Her face then instantly turned to fear. "What is it?" she asked. "Where are Anya and the kids? Are they ok?"

Xander shrugged. "Who knows?" he asked as he stepped inside.

"What do you mean who knows?" Willow questioned him as she closed the door behind her. "Xander, why are you here?"

Xander sighed heavily as he walked over to the stairs, sitting down on the second one from the bottom. By this point Tara had joined them and was now standing a few steps above where Xander was sitting. "I screwed up," he said plainly. Guilt was present on his face. All he cared about at that moment was getting the woman he loved back to him. "I screwed up real bad."

"No, no," Willow said in an attempt at encouragement. "I'm sure whatever it is, it can be fixed."

Xander shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Well what is it?" Tara asked as she moved down one step. Her concern for Xander was obvious, and she placed a gentle, comforting hand on his left shoulder.

"You know the woman who's in charge of the new library, Beverly?" he asked.

"Only by name," Willow answered plainly. "Why?"

Xander drew in a deep breath. This was his mistake; he alone would have to confess to it and atone for it at all costs. The words had to escape from his mouth. "Well, she and I kinda…we kinda…there was the one time…actually the few times…I was stupid…she was there…she was nice…and I was real stupid."

Tara's mouth dropped open as she realized the truth behind Xander's words. The construction worker did not have to come out and say it. She understood. "Xander," she said with disappointment.

"I know," Xander exclaimed. "I'm a jerk, an ass. An ass who doesn't deserve anything. I should be shot somewhere, and my remains should be scattered all over the globe."

"Does Anya know?" Tara asked finally.

Xander nodded sadly. "All too well. It was an accident. I screwed up."

"So you still love her?" Tara asked.

"Yes, with all my heart," Xander answered truthfully. "Only her."

"Then how could you let this happen?" Tara asked him back. She wanted to help Xander as best she could, but she could not bring herself to look at him.

"I was stupid," Xander said again. "That's how." Anger and disappointment with himself filled his body. "I can't loose another great woman because of something stupid with a less important woman," he said solemnly. "I just can't. I need to correct this." He looked behind him at the redheaded witch, who had remained silent since his confession. "Willow, please," he begged. "You won Oz back after something like this. What did you say to him? What did you do?"

Willow shook her head. "That was different. Oz and I were dating. You and Anya are married with two beautiful children," she reminded him. "Our thing was only a simple kiss, not a hot and sweaty affair!"

"Willow, please," Xander begged again. "At least give me something."

"What do you want me to say?" Willow asked. She sighed, knowing she had to help Xander. He was, after all, one of her oldest and dearest friends. She could not bear to see him suffering, even if he did deserve it. "Give her some space. Let her cool her anger down before trying anything."

"What's all you got?" Xander asked.

Willow nodded for confirmation. "Blankets are in the linen closet. You can sleep on the couch," she told Xander as she and Tara began heading back to their room.


	9. Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: They're not mine yadda, yadda, yadda, except for Morgan yadda, yadda, yadda. Does anyone even bother to read these things?

Chapter Eight

Anya hastily parked her car into the back parking lot at the Sunnydale Airport. She rushed out of the car and opened the back doors to allow for her children to get out. She picked up Morgan and balanced her on her right hip. With her left hand, she clasped Matthew's hand tightly. She kicked the back door shut and began quickly walking through the parking lot.

"Where are we going?" Matthew finally asked. Neither he nor Morgan spoke an entire word through the whole car ride to the airport. Matthew doubted his sister could even fully comprehend what was actually happening. She was only six after all, and it was way past time for her to be in bed.

He, on the other hand, was older. He knew trouble when he saw it, and his parents were definitely in trouble. He did not know or want to know the details, but something was not right. "Mommy?" he asked as they neared the closest entrance to the airport.

"Hmm?" Anya asked. She was no longer crying, but she was still distracted. How could Xander do that to her? She thought their marriage was fine. Everything was fine between them. They were still mad about each other. They had two wonderful children and plans for a third. How could he cheat on her with all that?

"Where are we going?" Matthew asked again as the three of them entered the airport.

"Where would you like to go?" Anya asked as she let go of Matthew's hand and shifted Morgan's position in her arms. "Do you want to go to Disneyworld? We could go to Disneyworld. What about the beach? Hershey Park?"

"Ooh, Hershey Park!" Morgan rasped. Although her voice was barely audible over the commotion in the airport, the excitement in it was obvious. "Can Vicky come? We really wanna go."

"No, Vicky can't come because we're not going," Matthew snapped. "I don't want to go to Hershey Park. I don't want to go anywhere."

"Hawaii?" Anya suggested casually.

"Did you even hear me?" Matthew asked angrily. "I don't want to go anywhere. I want to stay in Sunnydale with Dad."

Anya sighed heavily. "Matthew, I'm sorry, but your father has other things to do. We need to get out of the house."

"Then why can't we stay at Aunt Buffy's?" Matthew asked angrily.

"We need to get out of Sunnydale," Anya corrected. She walked over to the flight schedule for something that was leaving relatively soon. "How about New York City?" she asked. "I'm not one for cities, but you've never been there."

Matthew frowned again and glared at Anya. "I'm not going," he told her as he sat down on one of the benches.

"You can't stay here," Anya told him. "You'll be kidnapped."

"Good," Matthew stated angrily.

Anya sighed once again as she knelt down in front of her son. "Please, Matthew," she begged. "It's not forever. Just for a few days. You can pick the place and can have any seat on the plane. Please."

Matthew frowned once again. "We really have to leave?" he asked.

Anya nodded. "Yes, and we have to leave now," she told him as she stood up. "Where would you like to go?"

Matthew shrugged. "Hawaii, I guess," he said. "Dibs on the window seat!" he announced as he started racing towards the ticket line.

Three hours later, the three of them were situated on the plane. Matthew had gotten his window seat, but he was too busy playing game boy to care. The plane had taken off about half an hour ago. Morgan was asleep with her head on Anya's shoulder. Anya smiled slightly as she looked down and kissed her daughter's forehead.

She exhaled deeply. She was making the right decision, wasn't she? She had to get away from Xander. She sighed as she tried not to think of it. She got on this plane to get away from all her issues back in Sunnydale after all.

The man in the aisle seat next to hers looked over at her. "Rough time?" he asked sympathetically.

Anya looked at him. He did not look that bad. He also did not look like he would take advantage of her. The flight to Hawaii was supposed to be a long one, and she did not want to make it in silence.

Anya nodded. "The worst," she admitted. She looked over at the man once again. He seemed nice. "You probably have more things to do than hear about it," she told him.

The man shook his head. "This is a long flight," he reminded her. He smiled as he extended his hand to her. "Warren Mears."

Anya smiled back slightly as she shook his hand. "Anya Ha…Anya."


End file.
